"Fascinating Rhythm"

 

    Our Grade One Musicians continued their work as Composers.  This time they worked together to write a four-line rhythmic composition using quarter notes (ta), eighth notes (ti-ti), sixteenth notes (tika-tika), and rests (shh).


Our first presenters, performed their piece for the class and then led the class in performing their composition with them.  I can't wait to see our wonderful composers present the rest of their pieces next week!

In the Kindergarten classes we continued practicing keeping the beat with our percussion instruments.  Today we even played along to "We Got the Beat" by the Go-Gos and "Happy" by Pharrell.  [Video To Follow ... assuming I can figure out how to rotate it ...]

 

      

 


                                 

Feel the Rhythm!

This week our grade one musicians tried their hand at being composers - Rhythm Composers that is.
We have learned that there are names and symbols that we can use to write and read rhythms.
On Monday, we tried writing our own rhythms for the very first time using popsicle sticks.
We worked in partners to create rhythms.
Then we moved around the room reading the rhythms that others had created. 
Our grade one composers did a fantastic job and are going to continue making more rhythms!

 

 

 

"... and Wiggle Your Waggles Away!"

Hurray! Our new music room is ready! (I just have to unpack - the students have asked me to "do it quickly" 😃 - and put up our decorations).

Before moving music class to the music room, all the students worked together to make two beautiful cards for Mr. Nahi and Mr. Brian who worked VERY hard getting the music room ready for us.

 

Thursday and Friday we had our music classes in the new music room.  It was very exciting.
The grade ones are working on the Musical Element: RHYTHM.  This week we learned how to read different rhythms.  Next week we are going to be composers and practice writing our own rhythms for our friends to perform.

We have continued singing the songs we know and accompanying them with rhythm instruments (We're practicing keeping the beat and using dynamics).  And every once in a while we just got to "Shake Our Sillies Out".  Here "for your listening pleasure" are Thurday's classes singing some of our favourites ...

 

"Aikendrum"                  

"Shake Your Sillies Out" 

"Tingalayo" (watch for a cameo by Mr. Foster!)

and, of course, we can't forget "Peanut Butter"!

"I Got Rhythm"

... and Rhythm Instruments, too!

This week we continued working on our Music Journals.  There's been lots of colouring, and cutting, and pasting going on and our Musical Elements pages are coming together quite nicely.

This week we also started talking about Musical Instruments in the Kindergarten classes and had our first try at the Rhythm Instruments (also known as Percussion Instruments - SKs will be learning that new word next week!).  We got to try lots of different instruments.

Ask your child(ren) which one was their favourite and why?

We practiced different dynamics on instruments by playing loudly and softly.

We learned the first verse of a great Canadian folk song, "I'se the B'y" from Newfoundland and practiced keeping the beat with our rhythm instruments while singing. 

Thursday was Farmer Day for the SKs so the SK Musicians worked with Ms. Hayward to remix a Raffi song called "Going to the Zoo" into "Going to the Farm".

In Grade 1 we learned our newest musical element: RHYTHM.  

Rhythm is the pattern of long and short notes within a beat.

Today we learned 1 beat (TA) can be broken into 2 parts (TI-TI), or 4 parts (TIKA-TIKA), and that silence (SHH - what we call a "rest" in music) is just as important when creating rhythms.  Our student conductors helped lead the class musicians in a performance of "Peanut Butter". Everyone had to watch VERY carefully because the conductors could change the dynamics or tempo anytime they wanted.  We also started learning a new song, "Tingalayo" (Ask them to sing it for you!)

"Taking Care of Business"

We are Knowledgeable Musicians.  

We are Reflective Musicians.  

We are almost done our Musical Elements Unit and have been very excited to finally be able to put together the first few pages of our Music Journals.  Each of us has our very own Music Notebook in which we are creating pages for each of the new things we learn as musicians.  So far we have a Beat Heart, a Pitch Slide, a Dynamics Chart, and a Tempo Train.  The grade 1s also have Conductor Patterns and a Solfege (Do-Re-Mi) Chart.

We will continue to add pages as we continue to learn about and practice being the best musicians we can be.